13 veterans dead, 6 from coronavirus, at Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke

Thirteen veterans at Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke died over the past week, at least six of whom were killed by the coronavirus, state officials announced on Tuesday.

“This episode is a gut wrenching loss that is nothing short of devastating to all of us. And our hearts go out to the families and the loved ones and the staff who have been so horribly impacted by this series of events,” Gov. Charlie Baker said during an update on the state’s coronavirus response Tuesday.

“I want to extend, on behalf of all of us, our deepest sympathies to the members of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home community. They are many of our state’s finest, all of whom served our country and all of whom sacrificed on our behalf,” he said.

Another 10 veterans and seven staff members at the state-run health-care facility have tested positive for the virus, while 25 veterans have test results pending, officials said.

The home’s superintendent, Bennett Walsh, has been placed on paid administrative leave and Val Liptak, a registered nurse and chief executive officer of Western Massachusetts Hospital, has assumed responsibility, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

The deaths all occurred between Wednesday and Tuesday, according to Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse. A spokeswoman for HHS said that of the 13 people who died, five still have test results pending, one tested negative and another is unknown.

“It has been devastating to hear about the full extent of the COVID-19 outbreak at the Soldiers’ Home,” Morse said in a statement. “To the families who have lost a loved one, know that all of Holyoke shares your grief. I’ve requested that flags in the City be lowered to half mast tomorrow morning in their honor, for their service to our country, and to our community.”

Morse said that he was first notified about the situation at the hospital on Friday, but wasn’t able to get in touch with Walsh until Sunday, at which point he was stunned to learn that so many people had died and that the superintendent had not notified him or state officials earlier about the outbreak.

“I was shocked on the phone call when the superintendent let me know that there had been eight veteran deaths between Wednesday and Sunday, without any public notification,” Morse said. “There was a clear lack of urgency on that phone call.”

During a press conference Tuesday, Baker said that the state’s primary focus is now stabilizing and supporting the health and safety of the residents and their families, but added that he didn’t learn about the situation until Sunday night and that they “will get to the bottom of what happened and when, and by who.”

State officials said they have requested the National Guard to support on-site, expedited testing of residents at the hospital. Residents have been isolated and the employees have been advised to quarantine until they are asymptomatic, in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dan Tsai, HHS Deputy Secretary, said in a statement that state officials have also set up a clinical command team at Soldiers’ Home to respond to the coronavirus outbreak, comprised of medical, epidemiological and operational experts.

The command team is made up of experts from Commonwealth Medicine, the public service consulting and operations division of UMass Medical School; epidemiologists from the Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Infectious Diseases and Lab Sciences; the medical director at MassHealth; leadership from the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home; and other clinical, operational and logistical experts, including resources from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. The team held its first meeting on Monday.

“The veterans and everyone at the Soldiers’ Home are people that gave their all, risked their lives to protect all of us, and they deserve better,” Morse said. “I’m glad that the state is now taking swift action to protect the most vulnerable among us and the people that did everything they could to protect our rights and freedoms as Americans.”

State officials said that the facility had implemented additional precautions on top of CDC cleaning guidelines, including restricting visitor access, taking temperatures daily of all residents and employees who entered the building, continually disinfecting common areas and adding hand sanitation stations. Employees had also been provided protective equipment when they entered the facility and residents’ movement had been restricted in the long-term care facility and the independent living quarters.